Click here to watch Sen. Barrasso question Sec. Burgum
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) questioned Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary Doug Burgum about restoring permitting for energy development, undoing the disastrous Rocks Springs RMP, keeping the Lander U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Office open, and the status of the Greater Sage-Grouse Management Plan.
DOI Secretary Doug Burgum testified at today’s Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources hearing.
“During your initial hearing for this position, we talked about leasing and permitting for energy development.
“I thought it was a disaster under the previous administration.
“Can you just talk a little bit about what actions the Department has taken over the past number of months to correct course, and what it plans to do in the next fiscal year.”
“After the Biden administration lost the election, they came out with some punishing things.
“They lose the House, lose the Senate, lose the White House, and their Bureau of Land Management finalized what was the Rocks Springs Resource Management Plan, which is punishing to the State of Wyoming.
“It would devastate the people and the economy of southwest Wyoming, lock up millions of acres of land that local communities and the entire state relies upon.
“Can you just talk about what the Department is doing now?”
“As in your home state and in mine, we are very fortunate to have great relationships across the state between private, state, and federal partners.
“In Lander, Wyoming, there is a U.S. Fish and Wildlife office that serves both tribal nations, the Northern Arapahoe and Eastern Shoshone on the Wind River Reservation, along with neighboring counties.
“The office does valuable work for Wyoming such as big game monitoring, studies of wildlife disease, grizzly bear management and habitat restoration.
“There has been some confusion on the status of the office and whether the staff are currently present or not.
“Can you give us an update on the current status of the Fish and Wildlife office there?”
On the Greater Sage-Grouse Management Plan:
“In terms of Sage-Grouse, we’re the home of a large population of Greater Sage-Grouse and habitat.
“For over 15 years, Wyoming has been at the forefront of adopting and paying for new management approaches to protect the species.
“The Biden administration proposed to designate over 600,000 acres as so-called ‘Areas of Critical Environmental Concern’ which is basically a way of locking up the land.
“Is the Department planning on reopening the Greater Sage-Grouse Management Plan? Do you know?”
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